The COVID-19 case in Cross River

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the Cross River State Government recently confirmed a single case of COVID-19 in the state. According to the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Ayuk, the index case involved a 53-year-old Chinese expatriate working with a cement company in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State. The patient came to Nigeria on March 17 and later developed the symptoms.

Having presented with mild symptoms initially, the patient was later admitted to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), where samples were collected and the infection confirmed. The NCDC said that the patient had been isolated and was being managed in line with national treatment guidelines. The agency also stated that “the patient is in stable condition and responding to care.” However, the State Epidemiologist, Inyang Ekpenyong, explained that swift contact tracing led to the identification of 14 individuals who had interacted with the patient. Both the index case and the 14 contacts have been confirmed to have tested negative. The Cross River State health authorities have assured the people that there is no cause for alarm.

According to Ekpenyong, “the case is the first officially recorded in the state since 2022, noting that even a single confirmed infection qualifies as an outbreak.” He further stated that identified contacts are being monitored daily within the virus’s incubation period of 14 days, adding that some infections may go undetected due to mild symptoms or similarities with other common illnesses.

The Director-General of NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed that emergency response measures were activated immediately following the confirmation of the case. He stressed that all identified contacts are being monitored, adding that currently there is no indication of community transmission of COVID-19.

The outbreak of COVID-19 infection in Cross River State should be taken seriously by the government. It calls for nationwide reactivation of COVID-19 response measures and disease surveillance systems. This has become necessary since the affected patient travelled from Lagos to Calabar. The contact tracing should be extended to the Lagos airports and even the airline used by the patient. We commend the NCDC, the Cross River State health authorities, WHO and other international partners for their collaborative efforts to ensure that the virus does not spread to other areas.

Interestingly, the Senate on Thursday directed the Senate Committee on Health to probe the reported outbreak of COVID-19 in Cross River State. The committee, chaired by Senator Ipalibo Banigo, will submit its findings at the next legislative session. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, issued the directive during plenary amid fears of possible spread of the virus to other parts of the country.

We enjoin members of the public to begin to maintain non-pharmaceutical measures, including the washing of hands with soap and running water, social distance, wearing of nose masks and avoiding of public places. People who have symptoms of the disease should visit the nearest health facility.

Nigeria recorded its first index case in February 2020 via an Italian who arrived in Lagos from Milan. On March 9, 2020, a second case of the virus was reported in Ewekoro, Ogun State, through a Nigerian who came into contact with the Italian national. The virus later spread to other parts of the country. Nigeria recorded about 3,155 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic.

We recall that COVID-19 pandemic, which is also known as coronavirus pandemic, caused by acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS Cov-2) began with an outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019. It later spread to other parts of Asia and then worldwide in early 2020. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of public concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020. It also became a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The WHO declared that the public health emergency caused by COVID-19 had ended in May 2023. But that does not preclude any possible outbreak of COVID-19.

The symptoms of COVID-19 include headache, fever, sore throat, cough, fatigue, loss of smell and taste, nasal congestion, and runny nose, muscle pain, diarrhea and breathing difficulties. The transmission of the virus is often through airborne particles. As of April 2026, COVID-19 has reportedly caused about 7,111,504 confirmed deaths and 18.2 to 33.5 million estimated deaths across the world. COVID-19 was the fifth deadliest pandemic in history.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted social and economic activities globally and led to common mitigation measures, which included travel restrictions, lockdowns, business restrictions and closures, workplace hazard controls, masks mandates, quarantines, testing systems and contact tracing of the infected. While vaccination can prevent the virus, other preventive measures include staying at home or spending more time outdoors avoiding crowded places and keeping distance from others. All states and the Federal Capital Territory should be on red alert and reactivate all COVID-19 response measures, including the observance of the non-pharmaceutical interventions, which have been abandoned.